Let’s get the bad out of the way . . . I thought I was done holiday shopping.  Given that I LOATHE shopping, this was a major coup for me.  I’d even mailed ½ of the out-of-towners.  I was on top of the whole Christmas thing and feeling kinda smug as I listened to my friends lament the fact that they hadn’t yet braved the hoards cramming the malls.  But no.  My dh begged for help with his assigned list.  My retired, only plays softball dh.  I caved, so off to the mall I go . . . Again. 

The good . . . Great actually.  My Finley Anderson Tanner mystery series was picked up by Scribner/Pocket.  It’s a 3-book deal and a very tidy one at that!  The hardcovers will be released by Scribner, followed by mass market editions from Pocket.  I’m over the moon excited and looking very forward to working with uber editor Maggie Crawford.  And less than a week later, my new, fabu agent Donna Bagdasarian negotiated a deal with Intrigue for a 3-book deal.  The books are a re-launch of the Rose Tattoo series I began back in <gulp> 1994.  Wow, does that make me feel old.  So, Kelsey Roberts has risen from the ashes and I’m really thrilled.

So how does one celebrate 6 sales in 8 days?  Why diamonds, of course.  I was standing at the jewelry store at 10 AM after getting the news.  Note to fellow writers: Don’t ever forget to reward yourself – the great stuff doesn’t happen all that often.

The pointe?  Yes, I can spell.  Pointe as in ballet.  Apparently, the ballet teacher thinks my daughter is ready to go up on pointe.  Am I proud of her – of course, she works hard and dances 6 days a week.  However . . . those shoes are expensive and apparently have the shelf life of bananas.  This is my first foray into the world of dance and who knew pointe shoes break down after 6 weeks of wear?  Or that 3 pairs of pointe shoes = 1 pair of Coach shoes.  Too bad Coach doesn’t make pointe shoes . . .

Happy shopping!

Rhon